Kotori and Amelie made their way over to the Bosses house.

Despite being the leader of the village. The Boss lived in quite a modest dwelling.

Carved into the stump of a large tree. Her abode was a small hut and had a thatched roof. It's was nestled in between two larges trees and would easily be missed if one wasn't paying attention.

The house was quiet, which felt surprising considering the average volume of the person who dwelled within. Kotori and Amelie approached it carefully. While Kotori was feeling quite relaxed; Amelie seemed to quake in her boots. 

As they knocked on the door they heard a curt "enter" from a voice inside

They opened the door to see the Boss at a dinner table. It was enough food for three people. That was when Kotori realized that they hadn't eaten yet and the Boss had prepared for this fact.

The Boss gestured for them to eat and they settled down to have a quiet dinner. The food was very simple, fresh vegetables mixed in a salad and meat from a wild boar that the Boss had slain earlier that day.

The silence was unbearable. One could cut the tension in the air with a knife. Part of the reason was that the Boss was watching them eat. It was an unnerving feeling, especially when her face did not have its typical scowl. Her face in contrast to its usual appearance had quite a  neutral emotion as if she was waiting for something.

Once they finished the meal, they stared at each other; Both parties sat on opposite sides of the table and neither side felt willing to move

"If ya wanna say somethin' just say it," the Boss said looking annoyed being the first to budge

[C'mon Amelie you gotta say something] Kotori thought

She gave Amelie a small nudge to encourage her.

Amalie began to tentatively speak.

"Look, Aunt Isabelle”

The Boss raised her eyebrows. Obviously surprised that Amelie wasn't calling her ‘the Boss’ and talking to her like a family member."

"I want to learn to fight," Amelie said

"Denied" the Boss replied instantly

"But all the other women in the village learn to fight why can't I?"

"You're too weak," the Boss said flattly

"I don't care if I'm too weak. I want to learn to get stronger!" Amelie said her voice rising

"You'll hold the others back, what if someone gets hurt because of you" The Boss said

"I won't hold them back, I'll be very careful. I've been spending time in the scouting corps and I know how to avoid trouble." Amelie argued back.

"Not happening"

[well this conversation is going nowhere] Kotori commented internally

She interrupted their quibbling

"Why not let Amelie learn to fight? She obviously has the determination to do it"

The Boss glared at her

"You're not a part of this conversation!" she growled

Kotori bit her tongue and held her peace.

Then Amelie said

"That attitude is why mother left the village"

That statement seemed to strike a chord with the Boss.

Her face turned into a snarl

"Asha was weak, that's why she died."

Kotori assumed Asha was Amelie's mother.

Amelie began to tear up. This response upset her greatly

"How can you say that! Don't you care about your family? All you care about is strength! Does being weak make us mean nothing to you!"

For the first time, the Boss appeared to falter.

[There's that softness of hers creeping up again] Kotori thought

Kotori decided to press the advantage while the Boss was troubled.

"What happens if Amelie needs to defend herself"

"I'll protect her," the Boss said resolutely

"What about me?" Kotori asked

"I'll protect you" she also said

"What if you can't protect us"

"I'll protect you harder"

[This woman is a meathead] Kotori thought

"Is this what Asha would've wanted? For you to keep Amelie holed up in the village." She asked the boss

"How would you know what Asha wanted," The Boss asked accusingly

"I would at least know a mother would want her kid to grow up strong"

Kotori herself reminisced about her own mother. Although the time they spent together was short, the gentle way she let Kotori grow left a lasting impression. 

The Boss's tight expression softened

"Sister… Would've wanted you to be safe. She wasn't strong enough to protect you, and I wasn't strong enough to protect her." she said

Amelie herself was now crying

"Mama always said you were the strongest in her hometown… That I should try to be like you!"

She said choking through her tears

The Boss finally hesitated

"Asha said that about me?"

"Yes! Mama always said you were the kindest and nicest in the village and cared about everybody. She said that your body is covered in scars because you would always get hurt making sure others didn't get hurt."

Amelie sobbed

"So why is it when I get to the village you do nothing like that? All you do is look at me with disdain like I'm a burden"

Amelie no longer cared that the woman in front of her was the toughest warrior in the village and instead launched into a scathing critique of her.

"You don't listen to me! When I get hurt you tell me I should've been more careful instead of worrying about me!"

[Ah, is she finally having one of those "teenage tantrums" I guess 16 years old is still pretty young after all] Kotori mused

Amelie must've been holding these thoughts in for a while.

Amelie continued to critique the Boss on every aspect. Even for things she couldn't control, like her big muscles or how loud her voice was.

Once she was done she slumped into her chair. Her grievances were all let out and her emotions had run their course.

***

[Boss's perspective]

[She looks so much like Asha]

The crying Amelie in front of the Boss looked so much like her departed sister.

Asha was a massive crybaby and would often come crying to the Boss when something went wrong. The Boss was very overprotective and would always beat up whoever made her younger sister cry. Since she was the strongest in the village and most likely to be the next chief people learned very quickly not to mess with the Boss's sister

The Boss recalled the day she heard the news. That her sister had died while adventuring.

At that moment, all she felt was anger, not sadness. She remembered cursing her sister for leaving the village and marrying that silly man. She remembered cursing herself for letting her sister leave in the first place. She remembered when her heart dropped she heard that her sister's child, Amelie, had been sold into slavery.

When the Boss heard the news, she immediately hunted Amelie down, destroying several crime syndicates in the process. To this day, the kingdom of Faramouth still knows her as the "Wolf of the Woods". It contributed greatly to why the people of Faramouth think the wood elves were all bandits.

When she brought Amelie back she resolved herself to never let Amelie follow Asha's path.

She thought she could keep Amelie in the village forever. Nice and safe, where the Boss can still protect her.

And thus Amelie grew up safely, the Boss treated her harshly but secretly was delighted to see Amelie every day.

Now as looked at the exhausted figure of Amelie did she realize how much hurt her actions had caused her niece.

[Asha, what should I do?] She wondered

The Bosses remembered something her sister often did when the Boss herself was hurt. The Bosses wasn't't sure if she could do it like her sister but she wanted to comfort the crying Amelie

That was when the Boss did something she had never done before.

She walked over to Amlie and hugged her.

***

[Kotori's Perspective]

Kotori noticed a strange scene.

She saw the Boss take on the soft face she usually keeps hidden. She then stood up walked over to Amelie and began to embrace her.

Amelie resisted, she began to cry once more and beat upon the Boss's body rejecting the hug. In response, the Boss only hugged her tighter. The Boss had taken much worse hits in the past, but it was unlikely that being punched so much didn't hurt. Despite this, she kept hugging Amelie.

This continued for a while Amelie's breathing was growing ragged. Her blows became weak and slowly her resistance to being hugged by the Boss began to weaken.

Amelie soon found herself crying into the Boss's arms.

***

[Amelie's Perspective]

I felt a presence hug me

Noticing it was my aunt I began to screech like a banshee.

[I don't want your damn hug!]

I began to beat her, my fists flailing wildly.

Amelie saw the Boss barely flinch at her blows.

[Look at her, she thinks I'm weak, my punches don't hurt her at all]

Amelie was wrong. Even if her punches were unable to cause much damage physically to the Boss, each blow struck her heart. Watching Amelie reject her shook her to her core.

Amelie grew tired. She looked up and saw the Boss's face again. Which was as stony as ever.

Amelie screamed in her heart.

[Just show some weakness for once!]

Right then, Amelie saw a single tear roll down the Boss's eye. The glistening droplet created a shiny line on the Bosses usually flat face

[Ah, so she can cry] She thought

[She does care?]

It was at that moment that she began to cry into the Boss's arms. Her final sobs racking her body into a soft whimper.

The Boss continued hugging her without regard.

There were no words exchanged. There wasn't any needed.